As we all know, to acquire 50% of our phoenix club
HUST have a target of £250k in five years and this can at first
seem a bit daunting.So daunting
in fact that it would be easy to think 'what difference canI make?'

Well let's break it down a bit.....

We are well on the way to 750 season ticket sales,
we may get even more, but let's say 750 will be the final, magnificent total.

£1a week from
each of those committed people provides an incredible £39k ayear which
totals £195,000 over five years, nearly 80% of the target.

Thinkabout that
for a moment, almost 80% of our target achieved for £1 a week. It would be hard to not hit £250k with that
sort of start, and that's just what it is...a start, a fantastic virtually
match winning start.

There's also the prize draw, if don't buy a ticket
you can't win the raffle and there's nearly £3k up for grabs.

There's also supporters who are already making
regular donations and that some are for far more than £1 a week.

And I know there will be numerous other fund
raising events over those five years for us to get involved with.

Butif we all
gave £1 a week then all of the other fund raising efforts and donations
would just need to raise £11k in each of those five years to get HUST over the line. Any more would be literally
money in the bank.

Iknow that's
over simplifying things and it's never going to be that easy and that I've made a few assumptions in
getting to that total. I'veassumed
every one of the season ticket holders will be in a position tomake that
commitment, but I've also assumed that nobody will commit to more than a £1 so maybe any errors in those two
assumptions will offset.

Maybe500 will dig
deep and maybe they'll donate a bit more on average, say £1.50 a week and that's just as good as that
delivers exactly the same result.

You never know, it could be 250 donating £3 a week
that gets the same £195k but at the end of the day it
doesn't really matter. All that matters is that we all try to give
something on a regular basis, however much that may be, and that we maintain that commitment for five years.

If we don't, we may well be left with the sort of frantic last minute superhuman fund raising
effort that became all tocommon in
the last years of HUFC.

If we do, we'll have a significant share in the club we love and we'll
have helped provide financial stability for HFC, two things HUFC
desperately needed but didn't have. And all for a £1 a week, the sort of
money that you may noteven miss if
it slipped out of your pocket and down the back of the sofa.

There's a link to the standing order form on here
and to donate the equivalent of £1 a week, set it up for
£4.33 a month, £1.50 aweek is
£6.50 and £3 a week is £13 or more if you can.

Whateverthe amount
you give it will be another small step towards the fans owning 50% of Hereford Football Club and can you
think of anything finerthan that?

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Ben Smith was lucky to make a living from playing professional football for seventeen years but in reality as he readily admits in his first book 'Journeyman - One Man's Odyssey Through The Lower Leagues Of English Football' it might have been at a higher level had he worked harder whilst a youngster with Arsenal.

At the age of nine he was spotted by a coach from Colchester United, a year later both West Ham and Ipswich were tracking him. But it was Arsenal he joined at just eleven years old.

Whilst in time Smith was offered a professional contract with the Gunners, he reveals he became frustrated at his lack of progress.

'I was struggling to get into the youth team, let alone push for the reserves like I needed to be doing at that stage of my development'

He was head strong.

'I also thought that being associated with Arsenal would have clubs queuing up to sign me. I sent out my CV and waited for the avalanche of phone calls. There was not exactly a deluge.'

Smith went on loan to Southend but his attitude let him down

'At that stage in my life it was more important for me to go out with my friends than concentrate on what had the potential to be a successful career.'

Luckily for Smith, he moved to Reading and in March 1997 was offered a one year deal.

'I just sat there open-mouthed and nodded in acceptance.'

He made his debut at Manchester City as a second half sub on May 3rd 1997. But Smith was still very young and made some decisions he later regretted such as spending too much time on 'all-day drinking sessions' which didn't help his fitness.

In March 1998 Alan Pardew, then reserve term manager, told Smith that Yeovil wanted to sign him. Smith took his dad with him to meet Colin Lippiatt the manager of the Somerset club and signed but on non-contract terms.

'I didn't realise what a risky move this was'.

In his second year at Yeovil he met Jamie Pitman who was in the squad and during that season Colin Addison took over as manager but later suddenly quit. Both were to feature again in his career.Smith respected Addison as a manager.'I felt like my performances at the back end of the season, and the way I'd behaved at times, had let him down.'And with Addison gone Smith moved back to Southend where he picked up an injury in pre-season and whilst recovering went out drinking too often. Not long after returning to full fitness he suffered another injury. He was soon looking for another club and sent his CV to every lower league and Conference club

Ron Jukes rang him one evening and the Hereford United scout set up a meeting between manager Graham Turner and Smith. Turner had spoken to Colin Addison who said he 'was a good player but a handful off the pitch'. A deal was agreed. Smith was 'delighted'.But before his full league debut for the Bulls, Smith received a shoulder injury which kept him out until November 30th 2002. The Bulls defeated Barnet 4-0 that afternoon with a hat-trick from Steve Guinan and one from Smith for whom it was his first senior goal in eighteen months.

Smith had been told in advance that Turner could 'hand out some aggressive bollickings'. After losing 4-1 at Shrewsbury he witnessed one. Turner 'hammered' Smith's performance and added that he (Smith) had worn the wrong type of boot.

'Looking back he might have done it to get a reaction from me'.

It certainly worked as the following Tuesday Halifax were defeated 7-1. Smith scored two of the goals and was voted 'man of the match'. Smith stayed at Edgar Street for a second season when the Bulls came runners-up in the Conference but lost out in the play-offs. However disaster struck in February at Gillingham where Smith dislocated his shoulder for the second time.At the end of the season Turner offered Smith another contract, but the midfielder wanted to play in the Football League and moved to Shrewsbury which he later regretted. And another shoulder injury, this time when playing at Bournemouth put him in hospital. Richard O'Kelly, coach at Edgar Street whilst Smith was there, had moved to the seaside after leaving Edgar Street and came to visit him.'Little things like that are why I, and many others, hold him in such high esteem.'

Gary Peters became manager at Shrewsbury and signed Smith for a second season. They didn't get on and in December Peters told him to 'look for another club'. Smith met Graham Turner who offered him a deal back at Edgar Street but Smith moved to Weymouth partly because of the money.A year or so later Smith was looking for another club when the money rang out and, once again, he spoke to Graham Turner. A two and a half year deal was agreed which resulted in Turner paying £20K for Smith and the midfielder receiving £1200 per week to start with.

Ben Smith Pictured In September 2007 - BN Copyright

Hereford had a decent FA Cup run in the 2007/08 season and had held Leeds to a draw at Edgar Street. For the replay Smith was made captain as regular captain Karl Broadhurst was injured.

Lionel Ainsworth scored after three minutes and the Bulls held out for the win.

'We scored early on and we were expecting a bombardment thereon, but we went toe to toe with them throughoout.' In April 2008 Hereford United won promotion to League One but the next season was a real disappointment as the club simply couldn't compete at this higher level.

'The management should have pushed the boat out and signed some experienced players.'

By April 2009 Hereford were relegated and Smith who had been earning £1400 per week was offered a new contract but at nearer £700. Graham Turner had been clever enough to see that Smith only started 29 League games, one less than required for an automatic extension to his exsisting contract.

'I was really disappointed with the way the management had blatantly stopped me reaching the thirty game mark.'

Smith moved to Conference club Crawley. Steve Evans was their manager.

'His shenanigans are notorious within the lower leagues and he revels in this notoriety.'

However Smith signed for a second season which proved to be a good decision as Crawley had new backers who wanted promotion. Not only did they get promotion but also an excellent FA Cup run which took them to Old Trafford.

Smith was in and out of the team often depending on the formation Evans deployed. But like any player the prospect of playing against Manchester United was too good to miss.

'I was concerned about whether I would be starting and, if I did, I was then worried about my performance. I looked for where it should be, just behind the strikers, and there it was: 7) Smith

The game was a sell out and Smith was up against Michael Carrick. Although Crawley lost they became the 'Giant Killers Of The Year' and gained promotion to League Two.'I was looking forward to playing in the Football League again immensely'But it didn't work out for Smith as Evans had brought in several new players and Smith found it difficult to retain a place in the squad. He went on loan to Kettering.'As soon as I agreed Steve and I were the best of pals again and he waxed lyrical about how I was still part of his plans. He was lying'.Later Smith moved to Aldershot on loan. Then Evans quit Crawley and he was called back. But he took little part in their promotion push to League One. For Smith the season had been a 'f****** disaster.'In the last chapter of his book Smith questions what might have been had he not been as immature in his youth. But he only admits to two regrets.'Moving from Yeovil just before Gary Johnson took over and leaving Hereford United the first time around.'I strongly believe that if I had remained where I was at either point then I would have gone on to develope a lot quicker, under two highly experienced football men, into both the player and person I was capable of being.'Smith's book is a very detailed look at his football career which covered the best part of two decades. He certainly has a good memory as it's full of information about how he coped with negotiations about pay, managers, fellow players but, unusually, nothing about referees. Obviously a fair proportion of the book is about his time at Edgar Street which spanned four and a half seasons but there is plenty about his life at Arsenal, Yeovil and Crawley as well.

His honesty about why he didn't reach the levels in the game he might have done is refreshing. That part of the book alone should be standard reading for any youngster wanting to make his way in the game.

But in any case this is a good read and should appeal to anyone with an interest in Lower League football.

Just one disappointment, Smith mentions his long-suffering girlfriend Emma and how they had to move houses several times. But we are left to guess whether they remain an item.

The book, which comes with photos taken by Steve Niblett and James Maggs, can be purchased by BN readers direct from the publishers at a discounted price. Go to: www.bitebackpublishing.com

Simply scroll down to the promotion input field – half way down the right hand side of the home page – and type in the code: BNEWS.

North Ferriby's chairman has resigned from his position with the club's future still in doubt. Les Hare had been with the club for 20 years, saying in the announcement of his decision: “Clearly, the direction of the club is now being determined by others and this is the right time for me to step aside."

Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker says the club has 14 players on contract for next season as they adjust to life in the Conference. All 14 had clauses in their deals for wage reductions on relegation, with Baker saying the club will let any of the 14 leave if they wish. He also expects redundancies among the office staff with two or three likely to be cut from current numbers.

Luton have suspended two players caught in an alleged fracas. Shaun Whalley and Ricky Miller were both arrested by Police over an incident in the early hours of Monday morning. The League Two side a three points shy of a play-off spot with one game remaining, but would need an eight goal swing to sneak into seventh spot. The Hatters face Stevenage at home while seventh placed Plymouth travel to title chasing Shrewsbury on the final day.

James McQuilkin is still waiting to find out his Torquay future as one of five players boss Chris Hargreaves is still to make his mind up on. Three more have been offered new deals and nine have been released. Fellow ex-Bull Ryan Bowman already has a contract for next season after 12 goals in 37 games this term.Wrexham have appointed Gateshead manager Gary Mills as their new boss. The former York boss had spent most of the last two seasons with the Heed, and is reported to have cost the Dragons £30,000 in compensation.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Aldershot have appointed former Alloa and Dundee manager Barry Smith as their new boss. The 41 year old played over 400 games for Dundee before managing them in their return to the top flight in 2012 when they replaced the bankrupt Rangers. He will have former caretaker boss Chris Barker as his assistant.North Ferriby's owners say they offered the club for free to the other Directors but were turned down. The village side, who are reported to be paying players up to £700 a week on an average gate of 367, are reported to have made the offer at the start of April. The players have been told they will have to accept vastly reduced terms to remain at the club next season.Gateshead boss Gary Mills is mulling over his next move with newly relegated Tranmere challenging Wrexham for his services. The 53 year old has not ruled out remaining with the Heed, but will take his time to make a decision. Tranmere chairman Mark Palios says relegation is 'not disastrous' and that he and his board needed to rebuild the club anyway.Dartford say that they are planning to challenge for promotion to League Two within ten years. The Darts have been relegated from the Conference, and admit they cannot sustain a place in that division without further development of the club and doubling attendances. They want to convert to full time status within five years to allow them to maintain a Conference spot, then build to challenge for a Football League spot five years after that.

With Ben Smith's first book being published tomorrow (Tuesday), BN took the opportunity to ask the former Hereford United player a few questions about it.

BN - What made you write your book?

Ben - I’ve always been
an avid reader and especially football biographies. However I often
found that a lot of these books were quite bland and didn’t really give
the reader any great insight to what it really takes to be a footballer
and what goes on in the confines of the dressing room. Initially I wrote
the book with no real intentions of getting it published but as I went
through the writing process I thought I would circulate it to a few
publishers and see where that took me.

BN - After Ron Jukes
approached you about playing for Hereford, what were your first
impressions of both Graham Turner and Edgar Street?

I
had played against Hereford a few times during my time with Yeovil with
some success and had always enjoyed those games as there was a bit of
rivalry between the teams. I remember back then thinking that if I was
to leave Yeovil that Hereford would be a good team to play for. I liked
the rickety old ground and the atmosphere those type of stadiums produce
when near capacity. When I played at Yeovil Michael McIndoe always
spoke very highly of Graham and my opinion didn’t change when I met him.
He was and still is a very knowledgeable football man. During our first
meeting we just talked about football and different players. After that
meeting I thought that he was the sort of man I would like to play
under.

BN - Were you surprised to be asked to return to
Edgar Street for a second spell and for a fee, knowing GT didn't often
spend any more than he needed to?

I was not surprised
that the club wanted to re-sign me as they had already tried that once
before when I left Shrewsbury. However at the time I wanted to have a
totally new start away from the area and instead opted for Weymouth. The fee was a bit of a
surprise. Initially Weymouth had said I could leave for free but after
the amount of interest they had from other clubs they went back on that
and said they wanted a fee. This concerned me and I thought that might
jeopardise the deal. However Hereford, Cheltenham and Macclesfield all
agreed a fee and this meant the decision was down to me. The financial
offers from the other two teams were better and I was tempted to join
Cheltenham as they were in League 1 but the fact that I had unfinished
business at Hereford and the respect I had for Graham meant I was always
going to come back to Edgar Street.

BN - After your second
spell at Edgar Street had your impressions of Graham Turner and Edgar
Street changed? Out of all the managers you've played under, how did GT
rate in your opinion?

No not really. I thoroughly
enjoyed my time playing for Hereford. I was disappointed with the way my
exit was handled. I had a clause in my contract entitling me to a new
contract if I played a certain amount of games. Coincidentally I missed
that target by one game! I think I was due the respect of a sit down to
discuss this. I had overall done well for the club and think we could
have come to an agreement moving forward. However I had a disappointing
season in League One and hadn’t performed to the levels I expected of
myself. I was happy to stay at the club for the rest of my career but
unfortunately that wasn’t to be.

Regarding the best
managers I played under Graham was probably the best. I think I played
the best football of my career especially in the promotion season from
League 2 and a lot of that was down to the way he set the team up and
let me play.

BN - Can you remember your first game for Hereford?

My first game was a friendly against Tranmere where I played crap!
However my first competitive game was against Barnet in November of 2002
after recovering from a shoulder injury. I remember it well as I scored
in a 4-0 win. I’m pretty sure I was robbed of the man of the match
award after a Steve Guinan hat-trick!!

BN - Your 'best' game for Hereford?

I
had a lot of really good games for Hereford but my favourite is most
definitely the FA Cup replay win at Elland Road against Leeds. I was
lucky enough to captain the team to not only a great team performance
but as a really strong individual performance from myself. To play so
well against such a huge club with some very talented players was a
great thrill in what was an unbelievably enjoyable season.

BN - Shoulder injuries meant you missed some games. How did you manage not playing when injured?

It
was frustrating as you never really feel part of the team when you are
injured. However a shoulder injury is a little different from a normal
football injury as it allows you to still do a lot of physical work. I
used this time injured to work really hard to try and get myself as
physically fit as possible. Around this time was when the penny really
dropped for me and I started looking after my body.

BN - Whilst with Hereford were there any particular players you made longlasting friendships with and why?

Football is strange as when you are in the dressing room with someone everyday you build up some really strong bonds. However
when you leave these bonds can fade quite quickly. In saying that I
made a lot of friends there who I still speak to now. During my second
spell at the club Steve Guinan, Kris Taylor, Karl Broadhurst, Simon
Johnson and I travelled in together so built up some really good
relationships. During my first spell I spent a lot of time with Matt
Baker, Jamie Pitman, Michael Rose, Rob Purdie and Matt Clarke.

BN - You returned for Steve Guinan's charity game a few weeks ago - what do you think the future holds for Hereford FC

I
know the club and people of Hereford have gone through a lot of pain
over the last few years. However, I think that in 20 years time we will
look back at this period and say that it was the best thing that ever
happened to the football club. We now have in place people that really
care and have the best interests of the club at heart. Although from a
far, I am now a Hereford United supporter and hope they go on to have
the success that they and the supporters deserve.

BN has two copies of Smith's new book to give away.

To win a copy simply answer the following question - Looking at the picture when was the game and who was it against.

It seems strange that a year, to the day, we secured our conference
status and I would spend the day at Edgar Street as part of the
volunteer group to tidy the old girl up. Since that day at Aldershot I
have felt sad, angry, frustrated and delighted. But today was different.
Today I was going to give a few hours of my time to help Hereford FC.

I
had already ensured I had a note with my name, next of kin and Dr's
details on as instructed to bring. It seemed a strange request but
actually it showed professionalism on Kens part. I packed a mug (for a
coffee), my shovel, a broom, some gloves, a dustpan and brush, a bucket
and some large plastic bags.

I arrived at
about 9:20 and there were already people sweeping and shoveling the car
park out side Radfords. I signed in and started cleaning the area from
Blackfriers Street down to the Meadow End. There was a group of 13 of us
which, if I'm honest, I was slightly disappointed at. (but I know we
all have busy lives)

In just a few hours we had
picked up about 10 black bags of rubbish and it was time for a coffee
break. I need to mention at this point that the Coffee, Tea, Sugar and
Biscuits were donated by TESCO's so a massive thank you to them. As I
stood looking over the pitch it felt good to be back at Edgar Street.

As
to not waste time are attentions turned to behind the Meadow End. What a
mess!!! but after a few hours of hard graft and about 20 black bags
later it looked better. Its not until you start, you actually get to see
the poor state of the ground and how much work there is to do in so
many areas. But with hard work and a few more pairs of hands I am sure
it will not take to many days like today before it is all sorted.

I
gave something today that didn't cost money but it was just as
important to the club. It was just 5 hours of my time. If just 50 people
could spend a few hours of their time it would make a huge difference
in ensuring Edgar Street is clean and tidy ready for football to return.

A small group today made a start and it was great to see the difference. Until the next time.....

Former Bulls loanee Scott Tynan now runs a pair of tattoo shops on Merseyside and a third in Leicester after retiring from football. The 31 year old had a series of injuries that saw the end of his playing career, having played eight times for the Bulls at the start of the 2006/7 season on loan from Rushden. He runs the Leicester store alongside Premier League defender Wes Morgan, a former team-mate during his youth team days at Nottm Forest.Step 5 side Celtic Nation have confirmed they will withdraw from the Northern League and fold after being unable to secure investment to carry on next season. The club, formed 10 years ago as Gillford Park, were heavyweights in the division over the past few years after a US based backed changed the club's name and imported a series of ex-Football League players. He withdrew last season, leaving the club floundering after the money run out.Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker says he wants Gary Johnson to carry on as manager after their relegation from the Football League. The former Yeovil boss has won just one of six games in charge at Whaddon Road but, with most of the playing staff out of contract, Baker hopes he will clear the decks and start afresh in the Conference next season.Nuneaton have announced they will part with manager Liam Daish following their relegation from the Conference. The former defender is tipped to return to former club Ebbsfleet, with a newspaper poll of supporters backing him to be their next manager. Daish will remain in charge until after the Boro's Birmingham Senior Cup game with Birmingham City on Thursday.Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous says he expects the club to go straight through League Two following promotion from the Conference. The Bees claimed their third Conference title after previously winning the division in 1991 and 2004 with a win over Gateshead, with Martin Allen in his fourth spell in charge of the side.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Some of the players of Conf North side North Ferriby say the club is set to ask for demotion from the second tier of non-league football.

A club statement issued late on Saturday night neither confirms nor denies the claims, noting:

'The commerciality and fan base have not matched the success nor have they matched the ... funding. The club is totally reliant on the continued injection of monies from Steve and Eman Forster, even after the success at Wembley.

'With this realisation, the club’s only way forward for 2015/2016 is to trade within its own means and build on strong foundations going forward.'

Emam Forster is the daughter of Hull City owner Assem Allam, with the club having been put up for sale ten days ago after it lifted the FA Trophy at Wembley last month.A variety of player statements on Twitter claim the club has told the players they can all seek new clubs, and that the village side is set to drop up to two divisions.

Corby Town are up into the second tier of non-league after beating Poole Town in a Southern League title decider.

The Steelmen beat Poole 3-2 in front of 2,203 at the Dolphins' Tatnam Ground. They led 2-0 before the home side fought back with former Boston man Spencer Weir-Daley netting his second of the game to secure the title for Tommy Wright's men.

Poole will now enter the play-offs with Truro, Hungerford, and St Neots.

Banbury are the third, and final, side to be relegated from the division after a 1-0 loss at Chesham guaranteed their fate.

Over 5,000 packed into Whaddon Road to see Shrewsbury beat the Robins 1-0 to win promotion themselves and condemn Gary Johnson's side to relegation.

Gloucestershire may not be without a Football League representative for long, after Forest Green qualified for the Conference play-offs alongside the Pirates with a goalless draw at home to Dover enough to see them edge out Macclesfield for the last play-off spot.

Tranmere's fate was sealed with a 3-2 loss to Plymouth, while Hartlepool avoided an exodus with a 2-1 win over Exeter.

The other Conference play-off spots are held by Grimsby and Eastleigh. The Mariners, having already qualified, beat Aldershot 3-1, while Eastleigh came from behind to beat Kidderminster 2-1 including a goal from Craig Stanley.

The HUST Fans Team, without their legends and youth team reinforcements, suffered a heavy loss at the hands of a full strength Hitchin Town side.

HUST keeper Matt Williams was named Man of the Match for keeping the score down to just 12-0 with manager Ricky George accepting his inevitable dismissal, and a pint, shortly after the final whistle.

301 watched the game in good sunshine but a dry pitch took its toll on the Fans Team. Luke Griffiths pulled up early on despite passing a fitness test from Colonel Sanders, while experienced forward Wayne Milner was so devastated by the scoreline he only managed one post-match pint.

A goalbound header comes in

Several dozen Bulls swelled the crowd, including a first (and last) seasonal outing for the Funbus.

The Fans Team is next in action on Saturday May 9th, when they take on the slightly less dangerous opposition of Kidderminster's Fans Team as they take on a trio of opponents on the Aggborough pitch on the same day.

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